Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium

What Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium does

Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium (WASG) is a private nonprofit academic consortium founded in 1989 as the legislatively designated Washington State affiliate of NASA's national Space Grant program, established by Congress in 1988. Hosted at the University of Washington in Seattle, the consortium administers STEM scholarships, graduate fellowships, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), the STEM Leadership Collective workshop, and the First Nations Launch rocketry competition. It serves a statewide network of 22+ accredited academic institutions, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty mentors, K-12 students and educators, and aerospace industry partners across Washington State.

The consortium's underlying activity is program administration and grant disbursement rather than technology development. Core operations include scholarship distribution through UW student accounts, Affiliate Student Experience Grants at $22,000/$12,000/$3,000 tiers to partner institutions, student research placements, industry networking events, and outreach initiatives. Notable technical outputs include HuskySat-1, Washington's first student-built 3U CubeSat satellite (launched November 2019), though these are student-led projects supported by WASG rather than consortium-developed products. WASG does not develop or sell technology products and has no proprietary AI/ML capabilities.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating: WASG receives primary funding from NASA's Office of STEM Engagement through NASA Award 80NSSC25M7115, supplemented by discretionary donations through the University of Washington giving platform. The consortium operates with a lean 1-10 person team and has no traditional pricing model, as scholarships and stipends flow to students rather than being charged to customers. Recent strategic activity includes a 2024 organizational rebrand (introducing mascots Flora and Nova) and the 2025 launch of the STEM Leadership Collective workshop and Aerospace Hub NW Roundtable, both aimed at broadening student pathways into aerospace and STEM careers.

Name

Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium

Legal name

Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium

Website

https://waspacegrant.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is a federally funded nonprofit consortium at the University of Washington that administers STEM scholarships, research programs, and workforce development initiatives for Washington State students, faculty, and academic institutions under NASA Award 80NSSC25M7115.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Workforce Development

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Space Research and Technology (9271)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• STEM scholarships
• Workforce development programs
• Undergraduate research funding
• STEM outreach education
• Affiliate institutional grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NASA Space Grant Funding: Primary funding source from NASA's Office of STEM Engagement through NASA Award 80NSSC25M7115, which supports workforce development through scholarships, professional development programs, and events.
2. Affiliate Student Experience Grants: Funding provided to affiliate institutions for career and college pathway projects. Three funding levels: $22,000, $12,000, and $3,000 award levels to support undergraduate research, educator professional development, and experiential learning projects.
3. Donations: Discretionary support donations accepted through the University of Washington giving platform to support the organization's mission.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is a federally-funded nonprofit academic consortium that administers STEM scholarships, undergraduate and graduate research fellowships, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), the STEM Leadership Collective workshop, and Affiliate Student Experience Grants distributed across accredited Washington State colleges and universities. It also supports student aerospace projects such as the HuskySat-1 CubeSat and co-organizes the First Nations Launch rocketry competition, channeling NASA Office of STEM Engagement funding into state-wide workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flora: Program mascot representing biological and life sciences, symbolizing discoveries and evolution on earth alongside space exploration.
• Nova

Products and services

• STEM Scholarship Program Tuition and fee scholarships disbursed through University of Washington student accounts to undergraduate and graduate STEM students at Washington State institutions who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with demonstrated financial need.
• Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Summer research stipend program placing undergraduate STEM students with University of Washington faculty mentors on active research projects, culminating in a poster symposium.
• STEM Leadership Collective Workshop One-day workshop connecting Washington State college students with industry professionals (focused on shared-identity representation) for STEM career development and networking.
• Affiliate Student Experience Grants Three-tiered grant program ($22,000, $12,000, $3,000) awarded to 22+ accredited Washington State colleges, universities, and community-based STEM institutions to fund undergraduate research, educator professional development, and experiential learning projects.
• First Nations Launch Rocketry Competition NASA Artemis Challenge rocketry competition co-organized with Wisconsin Space Grant, supporting tribal colleges and AISES chapters to design and launch high-power rockets and compete on technical and oral presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Workshop participation tripled from 17 to 60+ students within one year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Primary funder through NASA's Office of STEM Engagement. Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is part of the national Space Grant program established by Congress. Current funding through NASA Award 80NSSC25M7115 supports scholarships, research programs, and workforce development initiatives.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Host institution providing administrative infrastructure, office space (AERB 241, Guggenheim Hall), and institutional support. The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics within UW AA provides programmatic support including the Diversity Seed Grant for STEM Leadership Collective.
• Washington State Academic InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of accredited colleges, universities, and community institutions across Washington State. Includes Everett Community College, Pierce College, Heritage University, and 20+ additional institutions. These affiliates deliver Student Experience Grant programs and pathway opportunities.
• Blue OriginminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate aerospace company that has hired Space Grant alumni as employees and participates in career panels at STEM Leadership Collective workshops. Alumni Shannon Gatta works as a data engineer at Blue Origin.
• Wisconsin Space GrantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on the First Nations Launch (FNL) competition, one of NASA's Artemis Challenges, which supports tribal colleges and AISES chapters in building rocketry programs.
• Pierce College Science DomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate institution awarded funding to implement High Altitude Balloon Summer Program for high school students, providing hands-on STEM experience with coding, experimentation, and HAB launches.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Space Grant Consortium: Ohio's NASA Space Grant Consortium administering scholarships, fellowships, and STEM outreach programs across Ohio institutions; structurally analogous state-level consortium.
• Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Wisconsin's NASA Space Grant Consortium, notable co-partner on the First Nations Launch rocketry competition that Washington also participates in; directly comparable state consortium with shared programmatic offerings.
• Texas Space Grant Consortium: Another state-level NASA Space Grant Consortium with analogous structure (scholarships, research programs, affiliate institutions) under the national Space Grant program; directly comparable operating model as Washington's sister consortium for a different state.
• California Space Grant Consortium: California's designated NASA Space Grant Consortium administering scholarships, fellowships, internships, and research opportunities across UC/CSU affiliates; directly parallel institutional structure serving a large state network.
• Florida Space Grant Consortium: Florida's designated NASA Space Grant Consortium headquartered at the University of Central Florida; directly comparable peer administering scholarships, fellowships, and research programs to Florida institutions.
• Colorado Space Grant Consortium: Colorado's designated NASA Space Grant Consortium at the University of Colorado Boulder, known for high-altitude balloon and rocketry programs similar to Washington's offerings; directly parallel structure.

Emerging players

• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES): National organization that Washington's consortium partners with for the First Nations Launch competition; comparable mission of supporting underrepresented students in STEM with scholarship and competition programming.
• Astronaut Scholarship Foundation: National nonprofit providing STEM scholarships (including the Carter Vu alumnus awarded $15,000); operates complementary niche as an astronaut-named merit scholarship provider with similar career-development mission.

Others

• Society for Science & the Public / Regeneron Science Talent Search: National nonprofit administering STEM competitions, scholarships, and recognition programs similar in mission (talent identification and award) but operating at national scale rather than state consortium level.
• National Space Grant Foundation: The umbrella organization coordinating the national Space Grant program that Washington belongs to; comparable parent entity that supports and convenes all state consortia including Washington.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/waspacegrant
• Facebookfacebook.com/WASpaceGrant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waspacegrant
• Instagraminstagram.com/WaSpaceGrant
• Xx.com/waspacegrant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium